 |
 |
| |
Movies:
Hidden Secrets
One Night with The King
Radio: Jay Sekulow Live
TV: LivePrayer with Bill Keller
Books: Danger Road
Networks: TBN
|
|
| |
TBN's Acquisition Of 'Holy Land Experience' Theme Park Seeks To Change More Lives
June 9, 2007 ORLANDO -- Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), the world's largest religious broadcaster and America's most-watched faith channel, hopes to change more lives through its addition of the "Holy Land Experience" theme park in Orlando, Fl., to the TBN family. Through the acquisition, TBN will bring an integration of the powerful living recreation of ancient Jerusalem with a cutting edge facility that will be used for television production, dramas, musical concerts, special events and movies.
"This marriage will bring an unprecedented synergy to both ministries and the production that is done there will be seen by a worldwide audience. TBN's involvement made sense, because both ministries are about changing and effecting people's lives. We've been doing that for 34 years," said Paul Crouch, Jr., TBN Vice President of Administration. "We believe this opportunity was heaven sent because it bought TBN an Orlando-based facility to fulfill it's local programming obligations for WGTL CH-52 and it will provide "The Holy Land Experience" with much needed promotion to bring more people to the theme park and Orlando as a whole."
The Holy Land Experience could well be considered Orlando's most inspiring destination as visitors experience a full day of discovery that takes them 2,000 years back in time to the world of the Bible. It brings to life ancient Israel as a unique, thriving world filled with fascinating exhibits and venues. Visitors learn about the Wilderness Tabernacle and the Great Temple; discover the amazing history of the Bible; explore the city of Jerusalem in miniature; see re-enactments of Jesus' ministry, His life, death, and resurrection; and feel the power and passion of our original musical productions.
WGTL TV, Channel 52, has a reach of over four million viewers in the Orlando and Cocoa Beach metropolitan areas with TBN's wide range of innovative faith-based programming. In October of 2006, TBN celebrated the inaugural broadcast of WGTL Ch-52 in Orlando with a dedicatory service attended by TBN founders Paul and Jan Crouch, Pastor Benny Hinn, Singer and Preacher Judy Jacobs hosted by Pastor George Cope and Calvary Assembly in Winter Park, Fl.
The combination of the production facilities and the Holy Land Experience offers Orlando visitors a powerful and unique faith based experience that can be promoted worldwide through the TBN network. The promotional capability can drive visitors to the complex.
"Some of the staff was asking what is going to be the immediate effect here at the park and my answer was 'I'm planning on you having more people coming through the turnstiles this summer,'" said Crouch. "Universal Studios does the same thing. We want the 'Holy Land Experience' to be a faith-based version of that."
About TBN
TBN is the world's largest religious network and America's most watched faith network. Each day TBN offers 24 hours of commercial-free inspirational programming that appeals to people in a wide variety of denominations. Beginning in 1973 as a single UHF station in southern California, TBN now reaches every major continent via 65 satellites and more than 12,500 television and cable affiliates worldwide. In the United States, TBN is available to 92 percent of the total households. Its website receives more than 27 million visitors monthly. For more information on TBN, visit www.tbn.org
|
|
|
|
|
Christian News and Media Agency
2006-01-09 -- WDC Media News -- WDC Media News - Music Watch
Crossdogs.com Opening Doors for Independent Christian Musicians
Photo: Gary LeMaster, co-founder, Crossdogs
NASHVILLE -- You’ve got the talent. You’ve got the equipment. You’ve got the drive. Now all you need is an opportunity to do what you do best: Perform the music God has given you to help change the world.
“Technology has made it possible for bands and musicians to create and perfect their own distinctive sound right in their own garage, basement, or bedroom,” said music industry veteran Gary LeMaster. “You can record and burn your own CD, download songs to the Internet – even create your own website to showcase your group.”
What musicians have lacked, however, is an effective – and affordable – way to connect with the venues and gigs where they would most like to perform. “Traditionally, introducing yourself and your music to the right people has meant creating a press kit,” said LeMaster. “And that means a well-designed brochure that showcases your talents and distinctive sound, along with a CD so they can actually hear you.”
But, as LeMaster pointed out, “Hard-copy press kits with all the bells and whistles are costly to produce, and they’re expensive to mail or overnight to promoters and concert venues.”
The need has led to one of the newest innovations to help hungry bands and artists: The online press kit – a virtual agent, if you will – that delivers a slick audio-visual presentation on a group or individual right to the e-mail in-boxes or computer screens of the most relevant venues.
A couple of websites have already popped up that provide the service to bands and artists playing bars, night clubs, colleges, and other secular venues. Here’s how it works: Musicians pay a fee to create an online press kit, which includes promotional materials and bios on the musicians, as well as audio and video demos highlighting songs or band members.
Venues searching for acts can post on the website and access the press kits to find the bands they want to book. Likewise, musicians can e-mail their electronic press kits to potential venues – or whomever else they wish. The result is a virtual marketplace for musical artists and individuals willing to pay for their services.
The service has been a boon to the secular music scene, and that success prompted LeMaster, whose own background is in gospel and contemporary Christian music, to partner with fellow Christian music veteran Brant Christopher Menswar to create Crossdogs.com, an online service that caters to independent Christian musicians.
“There are tons of great Christian artists who don’t have access to the marketing machinery to get their names and music into the right hands,” explained LeMaster. “And there are a wealth of venues – from churches, to coffee houses, Christian colleges, concert promoters, and Christian music festivals – that are looking for these talents.”
LeMaster explained that Crossdogs is designed to address the two most fundamental issues faced by Christian musicians: Finding relevant places to perform and receiving adequate reimbursement for time and travel.
“You talk to most independent Christian musicians who’ve paid their dues and they’ve all had a similar experience,” said LeMaster. “They travel hundreds of miles to minister at a church, coffee house, or concert, and then play their hearts out for a meal and maybe a small offering.”
LeMaster and Menswar came up with the catchy slogan, “Where Potential Meets Opportunity,” to highlight how Crossdogs.com will help change that scenario. “We’re convinced from what we’ve seen that Crossdogs will completely change how Christian musicians and bands connect with potential concert and ministry opportunities,” said Menswar, who himself left a lucrative corporate position to pursue the passion and call of Christian music. “It will open nearly unlimited opportunities to many artists who’ve been looking for a door into Christian music ministry.
For a small annual membership fee, musicians use Crossdogs.com to create their own Electronic Dog Tag™ (EDT™), which is a user friendly, web-based press kit that includes all the elements of a traditional hard-copy press kit – plus audio and video demos, a photo album, and much more. They then e-mail the EDTs to their own list of churches and other ministry venues, eliminating the high costs of duplicating and mailing hard-copy press kits.
Crossdogs also allows members to view performance opportunities from an exclusive list of promoters, churches, festivals, and other venues, and offers them the option of submitting their EDTs to this “A List” of opportunities.
Each of the ministry venues that partners with Crossdogs receives a free listing of its available opportunity on the Crossdogs.com website. “Churches and venues end up with top-notch artists to fill their openings, as well as 50 percent of every submission fee,” explained LeMaster.
“What Crossdogs is doing is very simple,” he said. “We’re giving a major group of independent artists and musicians access to venues they would normally have a very difficult time connecting with. And we’re giving venues and churches the resources to bless these artists and ministers.”
Added Menswar, “The world needs to hear God’s Word in many different ways and coming from many difference sources. Money should never be an obstacle. Crossdogs enables churches to bring in quality Christian artists without the worry of going over budget. Bands and musicians find great places to play and opportunities to minister. It’s a win-win format for everyone involved.”
Susan Zahn, an expert in faith-based media and president of the Christian public relations firm WDC Media, predicted that Crossdogs would be the catalyst for a new wave of independent bands and recording artists breaking into mainstream Christian media. “God opens doors in many ways, and this technology equals a giant door of opportunity for a lot of folks with ministry and performance dreams,” she said. “We’re going to be blessed in the months and years ahead to hear some awesome sounds of worship and ministry thanks to Crossdogs.com.
To find out more about the services Crossdogs offers, visit www.crossdogs.com.
Media Contact:
Dave Bohon
WDC Media
612-940-8406
www.wdcmedia.com
Story Source
http://www,crossdogs.com
|
|
